SEMIOTIC DEVICES OF IRONY IN FRENCH MEMES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17721/2663-6530.2026.50.115-123Keywords:
internet memes, irony, multimodality, digital discourse, pragmatics, semioticsAbstract
The article examines semiotic and pragmatic mechanisms of irony in French-language internet memes as multimodal formations of contemporary digital discourse. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing importance of memes as tools of communication, self-expression, and social critique, as well as by the insufficient exploration of irony within a multimodal framework, particularly in French-speaking digital culture. The aim is to identify and systematically analyze mechanisms of ironic meaning construction through the interaction of textual and visual elements. The research material consists of five French-language memes published on Instagram, representing different types of ironic expression. The study combines semiotic, pragmatic, and multimodal approaches, allowing memes to be viewed as complex communicative units in which different modes interact. The findings demonstrate that irony emerges at the intersection of several levels: semiotic, through the interaction of signified, signifier, and interpretant; pragmatic, through incongruity between utterance and context; interpretative, through the simultaneous activation of literal and implicit meanings; and multimodal, through the interaction of text and image. Understanding irony depends on the recipient’s cultural competence and contextual knowledge. French-language memes therefore function not only as humorous content but also as tools of social critique, collective meaning-making, and digital community cohesion.
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